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Feral
Feral is an encounter in High Tide. Enemies * Unravelled Beastman (Feral) (100 Gold, 100 XP, 100 Energy, 2 HP) Transcript Introduction A blood curdling howl cuts through the air and your entire group freezes in its tracks, wide eyes scanning the jungle, alert. "That didn't sound like merfolk," you mutter. Another mad roar, this time from the trees on the other side of the path. Jonas flips down his optics and glances around, grimacing. You sidle over to his side, your blade out and at the ready. "What is it?" "Not sure." Jonas shakes his head. "But you're right, they're not merfolk. They're burning hot, and moving erratically when I can spot them. They're too fast" The cries sound again, and this time they're close. Everyone bristles and takes up guarded positions, circling with backs to the center. A figure bursts out of the branches overhead and lands on all fours directly in front of you. It looks like a blend of lion and man, but there is something off about its appearance. Something wrong. Parts of its body are swollen in strange ways, like there's something beneath the skin stretching it taut. Tufts of fur and hair have fallen out, and there are several glowing cracks of throbbing light splitting its flesh. Its hands clench shut, the claws leaving jagged furrows in the ground, and it throws back its head for another terrifying roar. This time, though, there's an underlying tone of pain to the sound. At the call, more of the beasts hurtle out of the trees and land in the middle of the group. "What..." Marna stands stock still, stunned by the sight in front of her. "I thought they were all dead." In fact, you seem to be the only person in the group who isn't surprised by the presence of the creatures. You're beginning to wonder how extensive the gaps in your world knowledge really are. "Whatever they are, they're clearly not dead," you say. "Not yet." Conclusion Much like the shaman, the beasts are hard to kill. Also like the shaman, the beasts have nightmarish starfish creatures attached to their bodies, which separate and crawl away from the former once the host body has died. In the chaos, most have managed to scurry away into the jungle vegetation, but as you battle the last of the beasts, you find an opening to engage what seems to be the real enemy. You dodge behind your opponent and raise your sword for a thrust that pierces through the parasite and the beast alike and bites deep into a tree trunk, pinning them. The creature snarls and feebly swipes at you, but its claws only cut through empty air. The starfish parasite is squealing in pain as it blinks at you with its many eyes. Though it has nothing commonly recognized as face, you plainly read a blind and naked hate staring back at you. Slowly, the parasite separates from the host, curling around your blade. As it does so, the growling and snapping fades into whimpers, and then stops. As you watch, the beast's body starts to wither: The swollen parts of the body deflate, the glowing cracks stop giving off their infernal light, and tufts of fur slough off like snow. Only the parasite still moves, squirming on the spit. The movement of the strange, undulating limbs is somewhat hypnotic; all you can do is watch as the abomination dies. "So what did we just fight?" Your question cuts through the silence reigning in the clearing. Marna points her hammer towards the body pinned to the tree. "That looks like a beastman, but they were supposedly wiped out in the decade after the War of the Kasan. I've only seen them in pictures before this." You and your comrades look from the beastman's corpse to the strange-looking echinoderm that peeled off its back. Marna looks to Jonas. "Just what exactly is happening here on this island?" You stalk over to the beastman's corpse and yank out your sword. The body slumps to the ground and you clean and sheathe your blade. "Well, what say we go find out?" Category:High Tide